When helping someone with anxiety, avoid invalidating phrases like "Just calm down," dismissing their feelings as "all in their head," forcing solutions, or making assumptions about their experience; instead, listen, validate their feelings with empathy, and offer practical, non-judgmental support like asking, "What can I do to help?". Don't push them to face fears prematurely, get frustrated, or offer too many solutions at once.
You could:
DON'T: Dismiss their feelings
To avoid this, try not to use minimising phrases such as “You're overreacting” or “It's all in your head”, listen without interrupting or judging them and acknowledge that even if you don't fully understand anxiety, it is their reality.
Five Things to Say to a Loved One with Anxiety
But there are things you can do to help:
Ask for consent before providing physical comfort and respect any requests to stop touching immediately. In some cases, people need space to focus on their thoughts and regain their composure. Hugging someone who doesn't want to be touched during an attack may make anxiety worse.
Validate their anxiety: Remind them that anxiety is a common experience, and many people can relate to it. Saying, "It's completely normal to experience anxiety from time to time," helps validate their feelings. Observe and describe: Pay attention to their physical and emotional state and let them know you notice.
A big event or a buildup of smaller stressful life situations may trigger excessive anxiety — for example, a death in the family, work stress or ongoing worry about finances. Personality. People with certain personality types are more prone to anxiety disorders than others are.
Defining high-functioning anxiety
They often are successful in careers or other roles, yet internally struggle with persistent feelings of stress, self-doubt and the fear of not measuring up. They feel extremely uncomfortable inside and struggle with significant self-criticism.
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Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs.
These substances can cause or worsen anxiety. If you can't quit on your own, see your healthcare team or find a support group to help you.
Saying something like, “I can't believe you're getting upset over such a small thing” belittles a person's experience. Instead, ask your loved one how you can provide support during challenging moments. “What makes one person fearful may be no big deal to someone else,” says McGuire.
Something that's pretty minor (even though it's stressing you out currently) likely won't matter to you 5 days, 5 weeks, or 5 years from now. In that case, give yourself 5 minutes to think about it.
In addition to behavioral tools, healthy eating, and lifestyle choices, drinking tea can also help with stress and anxiety relief.
When you need to calm those racing thoughts, these go-to tricks can help.
High-stress people can cause you to become more anxious, too. Obviously if the high-strung people in your life are family members and coworkers, it will be difficult to completely avoid them. However, once you acknowledge how their stress may impact you, it will be easier to control it.
Try these when you're feeling anxious or stressed: Take a time-out. Practice yoga, listen to music, meditate, get a massage, or learn relaxation techniques. Stepping back from the problem helps clear your head.
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The 3-3-3 rule is a super simple technique that can help you regain control and calm your mind. It essentially requires you to identify three things you can see, three things you can hear, and three ways you can move your body.
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What to avoid saying to someone with anxiety?
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The 3-3-3 rule is a simple grounding technique that helps interrupt anxiety by engaging your senses with 3 things you see, 3 sounds you hear, and 3 things you can touch. This technique works by redirecting anxious thoughts away from future worries or past regrets and anchoring your attention in the present moment.